Reinforcements were hopeless, and counterattacks couldn't defeat the Demon Clan's army, so the soldiers defending Ziye Ning's city were continuously demoralized. Deserters began to emerge, taking advantage of the night to scale the walls and flee Ziye Ning.
The Demon Clan's scouts captured some deserters. According to their descriptions, provisions in the city were exhausted, and medicine was extremely scarce. Many injured soldiers were dragged until they succumbed to infections and died, their bodies hurriedly buried.
At this point, Dongsheng's defenders were on the verge of collapse. Cheng Ziang felt that if they attempted to negotiate surrender now, they might be able to take down the great city of Ziye Ning without any real effort.
Thus, he suggested to the Demon Clan's leader the idea of negotiating surrender. The leader was initially shocked but soon realized that this was a godsend opportunity.